Leonidas had waited for over an hour, and still, the men hadn't returned with Lilith. A knot of unease twisted in his gut. What could have happened? Had they been caught? Or worse—had they double-crossed him and run off with his bride?
Irritated and growing increasingly anxious, he climbed back into his carriage went down the path Bole and Angus had taken toward the cottage. His eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for any clue—a broken carriage, disturbed tracks, anything that would explain the delay.
The silence inside the carriage stretched unbearably as time dragged on. After an hour and a half of searching, he finally spotted something, a broken tree just off the path. He frowned, pulled the carriage to a stop, and climbed down. Striding toward it, he stood beneath the splintered trunk and stared up. What happened here? he wondered. There hasn't been a storm.
His unease deepened.
